Space & Aviation

Explore Space & Aviation across the Smithsonian through stories, events, and exhibitions. Use the filters to browse by format, then bookmark events and exhibitions to keep track of what you want to visit or attend.

522 results
Strange, metallic-looking spheres washed up on the shore.
The shiny objects—each roughly twice the size of a basketball—began to appear on July 3. Authorities initially worried that they were hazardous but have since determined that they’re likely safe bits of space junk.
A large orange planet in the bottom left of a black frame with a small luminous dot at the top right.
New observations of WD 1856 b, a gas giant closely orbiting a white dwarf, offer a preview of what could happen to Jupiter and Saturn after the sun dies in about five billion years.
An image of a lit up Space Shuttle Endeavour in orange, white, and black colors.
This November, visitors to the new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center in Los Angeles will get to see the “ready-to-launch” “Endeavour” complete with rocket boosters and a fuel tank.
Curator Cathleen Lewis smiling wearing purple glasses.
50 years ago in 1976, a recent high school graduate walked through the doors of the brand-new National Air and Space Museum building on the National Mall. Cathleen Lewis couldn’t have known that one day she would return, not as a visitor, but as . Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.
The Crimson Vortex and Sapphire Blossoms of Andromeda in outer space.
The pictures, on the competition’s shortlist, reveal the remarkable celestial objects that lie above our heads, both in deep space and closer to home.
Image of the constellation Lupus full of bright, colorful stars.
After a year of testing, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile has started capturing data as part of the much-anticipated Legacy Survey of Space and Time.
We’re looking at the cosmos through a red, white, and blue lens. Who needs backyard fireworks when you have supernova remnants and supermassive black holes putting on a show?
A new result shows that the outer spiral arms in the Milky Way galaxy may reach wider than previously thought. This finding may lead astronomers to adjust their understanding of our home galaxy’s structure.